Mark Lewin, A.J. Styles, Ben & Mike Sharpe, Minoru Suzuki and Pedro Morales are the members of the 2018 class of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame.
All broke the 60 percent barrier in votes from their respective geographical locations, with Lewin in the Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Islands region, Styles in current U.S. and Canada, The Sharpes and Suzuki in Japan and Morales in the U.S. and Canada historical (meaning his key career would have to have ended before 1987) category.
Wrestlers are supposed to be judged on four major criteria: positive historical importance to the business, drawing power, in-ring ability and longevity. A Hall of Famer should be strong in all of those categories, but if they were among the true dominant standout performers of their era in one or two of those categories, they should also be put in. Longevity, without being a major draw, top tier in-ring worker or a major historical figure, should be seen as meaningless. For non-wrestlers, they need to be among the elite of their era in their specific roles.
In our largest one year inclusion in history, seven new members were named to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in a balloting of performers, front office people, reports, historians and some well known wrestling experts.
Four of the newcomers were voted on by the largest voting panel to date and three others were chosen largely by lobbying from historians providing research as to why they clearly belonged.
Voted in were two wrestlers who have come very close in recent elections, Mick Foley, who came three votes shy last year, and Shinya Hashimoto, who came one vote shy last year, along with two others voted in on their first eligible ballot, Steve Austin and in something of a mild surprise, Akira Hokuto.
Foley, who already had strong credentials last year, only added to his resume over the past 12 months.
As part of WWE’s WrestleMania weekend, Friday’s Hall of Fame ceremony kicks off five straight nights of WWE-branded action in Orlando, FL, even though tonight won’t feature any in-ring competition.
Starting at 8 PM EST, I’ll be your companion through tonight’s show on WWE Network, giving you bullet points and any need-to-know fun facts from the ceremony at the Amway Center.
Historian and MLW podcaster Matt Farmer will have some insight on the ceremony from a different slant, coming either later tonight or early Saturday.
Here’s who is being inducted and by whom:
– Kurt Angle, inducted by John Cena
– “Diamond” Dallas Page, inducted by Eric Bischoff
– “Ravishing” Rick Rude, posthumously inducted by Ricky Steamboat
– The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, inducted by Jim Cornette
– Beth Phoenix, inducted by Natalya
– Teddy Long, inducted by Ron Simmons
Additionally, former Rutgers football player Eric Legrand will be honored during the night with this year’s Warrior Award.
Join us at 8 PM EST.
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Jerry Lawler is out to host tonight’s festivities.
Diamond Dallas Page
Eric Bischoff starts us off. He talks about what a heart is, but before anything he wishes one person was out here tonight inducting DDP — Dusty Rhodes. When he met Diamond Dallas Page, it was in 1988 when he managed Badd Company (Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond). Bischoff felt at the time it was an odd pairing, considering he was significantly taller than either of them.
He talks about a time he got into a bar fight with DDP during his time in AWA. He didn’t feel bad when DDP left for WCW shortly after. But when Bischoff left the AWA, he auditioned for a gig as a WCW announcer…and the guy handling the interview? DDP. He was still flamboyant and obnoxious, but he had a great time. He learned to respect his passion for the company — both by announcing and training at the Power Plant.
People told DDP he was too old to enter wrestling at the age of 35, but he wasn’t relentless and kept going. Bischoff lists names DDP has worked with in the past, including Goldberg, Sting and Eddie Guerrero. Bischoff defines the scientific term of what heart means, then says DDP is living proof of heart through his dedication to help others, listing his successes through DDP Yoga. He introduces Diamond Dallas Page.
He talks about a time he got into a bar fight with DDP during his time in AWA. He didn’t feel bad when DDP left for WCW shortly after. But when Bischoff left the AWA, he auditioned for a gig as a WCW announcer…and the guy handling the interview? DDP. He was still flamboyant and obnoxious, but he had a great time. He learned to respect his passion for the company — both by announcing and training at the Power Plant.
People told DDP he was too old to enter wrestling at the age of 35, but he wasn’t relentless and kept going. Bischoff lists names DDP has worked with in the past, including Goldberg, Sting and Eddie Guerrero. Bischoff defines the scientific term of what heart means, then says DDP is living proof of heart through his dedication to help others, listing his successes through DDP Yoga. He introduces Diamond Dallas Page.
DDP says he used to have diamond dolls, but now has diamond daughters as he introduces his daughters, who accompanied him to the ring. He brings up his cameo at WrestleMania VI, saying the car he drove got the gig, not him. Crazy to think that at WrestleMania 33, now he’s in the WWE Hall of Fame.
He says it is a bittersweet night because Dusty Rhodes isn’t here tonight. He tells a story of when he first met Dusty. He brings up wrestling at 35, saying that Michael Hayes was on the ground laughing when he heard it. He thanks Terry Taylor, the Assassin Jody Hamilton and Buddy Lee Parker for their tutelage while training at the Power Plant. He thanks Eric Bischoff next, as when he first started out he put on so many gimmicks he didn’t know who he was, but when Bischoff came in he helped him find out who DDP really was. He thanked Jake Roberts too, because without the both of them, he wouldn’t be there. People made fun of him for watching tapes of all his matches, but now everyone does it on YouTube.
DDP brings up stories of Macho Man and Hulk Hogan, and how he met Hogan in 1994 and said soon they’d be working together. Years later, they not only did just that, but also with Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman. After listing people he wanted to thank, he brought up his ex-wife Kimberly for supporting him even when she thought he was crazy. He brings up his wife, a breast cancer survivor. He rattles off a list of names, including Chris Jericho, who helped put out the world regarding DDP Yoga.
He finishes off his speech talking about Dusty Rhodes, who would let him vent when things weren’t going right him. He says he went too far one night and rakes his eyes, asking what he meant. He said that night he thought he would never be champion. Dusty said if you don’t believe you’ll be champion as hard as a worker as he is, then what are you doing here. He says he took a piece of paper that night and wrote that he will be world champion one day. He says when he won the title, the next day Dusty called him and asked how it felt, he said it felt real. Dusty said because it was.
Jim Ross once called him the biggest overachiever in wrestling. He said you first must be an over believer and you must believe in you.
Rock and Roll Express
Jim Cornette arrives, saying that back in 1983 the biggest thing on television was MTV, so the idea to put together the Rock and Roll Express seemed like the right idea at the time. But it wasn’t just the gimmick – Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson knew the mental part of this sport in connecting with the audience. The women loved them for their look, the men loved them for their toughness, especially Ricky Morton. He talks about their infamous hot tags, the double dropkicks, and the adoration of the fans.
They wrestled every great tag team there was back in the day, but like how Batman needed the Joker, the Rock and Roll Express needed the Midnight Express. They toured the Mid South and Carolina areas, people never getting tired of the feud. When politics split up the Midnight Express, they were the backbone of Smoky Mountain Wrestling.
The Rock and Roll Express always delivered, no matter where they were. People always come up to him, especially on the WWE roster, saying that when they saw the Expresses battle they knew they wanted to enter the business. Even by the 2000s, the RnR Express fought guys half their age, then feuded with the Midnight Express all over again.
Nobody can make them stop and nobody wants them to stop because they are a national treasure. He notes one time that one family would take their Christmas pictures and give them to the Rock and Roll Express because they thought of the RnR as their own family, Cornette musing that you know you’re over when you’re in the same picture with Jesus. He then brings out the Rock and Roll Express.
After musing about their families, Morton says he’s watch the wrestling business grow from a sport that they love into a global empire. He says that it is the boys, that is what it is all about. He credits Jimmy Hart, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and Bill Dundee for believing in them. Morton brings up Dusty Rhodes, saying it was his vision that helped them. They go through a list of people, including Ric Flair, who gave them a PhD in the business.
Morton briefly brings up their history with Dennis Condrey, Bobby Eaton, and Stan Lane, the Midnight Express, saying that hopefully they’ll soon be here on this stage. They thank their families. Morton tells Gibson that he’s the greatest person he’s ever met in his life and he wouldn’t change a thing.
Rick Rude
Ricky Steamboat is introduced, giving shout outs to Triple H and Shane McMahon. After bringing up his accomplishments, Steamboat says that Rude was a true heel, insulting both men and women. Steamboat tells a story of how strong Rude was, and being in the ring with him you could feel that strength. He knew what he was doing in the ring and had a great sense of timing. He brings up his enforcer role in DX, as well as being a part of Bobby Heenan’s family.
He wasn’t stiff in the ring, but he was awfully snug and you could feel it whenever he laid him in. He introduces his son, Rick Rood, as well as his wife and daughter, Michelle and Marissa.
His son Rick speaks for the family, saying how do you talk about one of the best entertainers in all of television? He thinks what his father would say, then tells the fat, out of shape central Florida sweathogs to keep the noise down to a big pop. He talks about Rick Rude’s early life, noting how it wasn’t until many of his high school friends became wrestlers that he did too, joining the business and learning under Eddie Sharkey.
Rick Rood mentions his father loved being with his family more than anything else, that he worked so he could provide his family what he didn’t have growing up. Rood says proudly tonight he can say he accomplished that. He brings up his late brother Colton, who was the most wonderful, Christ loving person and kind person he’s ever met. On behalf of the entire Rood family, he thanks the WWE for placing his father with some of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Beth Phoenix
Natalya says it all started with Mark Henry, who noted when they first met that she reminded him of Beth Phoenix. She smiled, saying who the hell is she? She wondered who was this girl, why did they look so much alike, and why was she single white femaling me? She says eventually they met, and wouldn’t you know, they wore the same outfit.
They did their best to impress Arn Anderson and Fit Finlay the best they could. They weren’t models growing up — they wanted to kick ass. She brings up when they faced Laycool in a tag team table match, and she wanted the match to focus on Natalya – she wanted to lift other women up.
Beth is not just an ass kicker, but a mother of two, a trained pianist, has a masters degree in criminal psychology and can lift 220 pounds – that’s two Carmella. To this day, she believes was my Uncle Owen’s gift from me because of you, Beth. She introduces Beth Phoenix.
Beth says you never forget your first love, and she knows that because it was wrestling. She grew up watching WCW with her Polish immigrant grandmother, but it wasn’t until watching WrestleMania X, with Owen vs. Bret Hart, that she knew what she wanted to do.
She thanks her college roommate Janet, who encouraged her to enter wrestling, and Ron Hutchinson, who helped train herself, Edge, Christian and Trish Stratus. She noted how when she went to her tryout to train with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero and others and how she opened the doors and smacked right into none other than Brock Lesnar.
She brings up her time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, bringing up how Nora, also known as Molly Holly, helped pay for her tuition in OVW and says that is what women’s empowerment is all about. She thanks those who helped her in OVW, including Paul Heyman, who helped build her confidence, and Tommy Dreamer, who she called the champion of the little guy.
When she was brought to the main roster, she got to work with great women including Melina, Gail Kim, Maria, the Bella Twins, Vickie Guerrero, Tamina, Michelle McCool, Layla and others. She brings up Candice Michelle, who helped her become the Glamazon, Mickie James, who she had her first ever wrestling match with, and Eve, who always made time for her as a peer and a friend.
Santino Marella is brought up, which she says she had the best moments of her career with and always put a smile on people’s faces, bringing up how one time in Italy he cut a promo on her saying she couldn’t cook and she didn’t know it until bumping into an Italian fan at the hotel. She finally brings up Nattie, who she bonded with over wrestling, and truly feels Owen had a part in bringing them together because as far as friends go, she’s the best there is, best there was and the best there ever will be.
She puts over the current crop of women’s talent, thanking them for continuing to bring equality to women’s entertainment. She thanks those who came before her, including Chyna. While she never met her, she’s proud of the accomplishments she gave to the business. She thanks her family, then gets to Edge, who gets an introduction by Tony Chimel. She thanks him, saying not only was he born to be a father, but he was born to be a father for their two girls. She brings up her daughters Lyric and Ruby, saying that one day when they’re watching this again she wants to let them know they are her greatest accomplishments.
She finishes by saying of you ever feel like you don’t feel the mold, it is because you were meant for greater things. Don’t try and be someone you’re not and be accepting of how others are different because those are how dreams are made.
Warrior Award recipient Eric LeGrand
Dana Warrior says it’s fitting that the WWE is in Orlando, as it is a city of once upon a times. WWE has heroes and villains, evil queens and brass knuckle princesses. Our mighty men don’t have swords, they have spears, and stitches. Every story needs a jester, then brings up Enzo. There once was a warrior that was considered ultimate, and three years ago he stood here as a part of the Hall of Fame.
But not every story ends with a happy ending. There are no true once upon a time or happily ever afters, but a cast of characters that have a warriors spirit throughout the ages. Eric LeGrand has that spirit. He required himself to always believe, and shine such a light others followed. His mother Karen is a heroine. This award can go to no one more worthy than Eric. He is in a chair, but he is not the chair. It may be his chariot, but he was vowed to walk again and she believes in him.
He has an eye on champions, bringing up Team LeGrand which is a part of the Dana and Christopher Reeve foundation. She welcomes Eric LeGrand. He thanks God, then Triple H. He brings up Joe DeFranco, who brought him up on his podcast. At the end of the podcast, he was surprised by tickets to SummerSlam a couple of years ago. He talks about a story with a man with deformed legs who wrestled despite this that was featured on his television show on Fox Sports.
He brings up his injury, crediting those who had to hear the news and how they stayed with him that night how he could never walk again, would never eat solid food again and how he was paralyzed from the waist down. He says he had to keep a positive attitude and said he would never give up and keep fighting. Five weeks after the injury he was able to breathe again. That Thanksgiving, he was able to have a full solid meal with his family. The injury was in October; that February, he was able to move his head.
Six years into this, a lot of people would give up, and unfortunately he has seen people pass away from injuries such as his. He brings up Team LeGrand, who wants to look into research for spinal cord injuries. He brings up Christopher Reeve, and says he feels like he is ready to take that mantle that he carried for spinal cord injury research.
He brings up his love for wrestling, noting he was into Stone Cold Steve Austin, remembering the big Invasion angle where Stone Cold Steve Austin returned and laid everyone out with a crowbar. He says Kane was a big influence as well, and also brings up The Rock, who he marveled at just how he was able to move the crowd .
He thanks his mother, who has given her life to help him cope with his injury. He finally thanks his Rutgers team, because without them he wouldn’t be where they are at. He promises that he will walk again one day.
Teddy Long
The APA says they have learned one thing tonight, and that is to go home. They teased him, with JBL saying he was the biggest scrooge in the industry, he never paid for anything. Ron Simmons brings up an invoice, noting he owes around $72,000 dollars.
Simmons says he held just about every job in the industry, racking up a number of accomplishments. JBL brings up how Teddy Long was born in Birmingham, Alabama and how he grew up watching and witnessing moments in the Civil Rights movement. JBL says this isn’t about Black History, it is about history and how opportunity was going to come for all for generations.
Simmons says anyone who puts in hard work can have great things regardless of race. JBL intrudes the cheapest man on the planet, Teddy Long!
Teddy Long comes out and acts like he threw his back out, but then reveals it’s a rib, much to the APA’s dismay. He corrects the story JBL told earlier about him being arrested for being drunk despite never drinking. He says he got a ticket, and found a way to get the APA to pay for it.
He brings up his career in wrestling, how he started by driving guys to the WTBS studio and how eventually he was able to become a referee. His first match he ever match was a match between Black Bart and Ron Bass, who were in a Texas Death match and how he bolted when they started bleeding because they thought they were going to beat him up.
Running through his career, he mentions managing guys in WCW like Doom, Ice Train and Johnny B. Badd. He went to the WWE in 1998, and a few years later became manager for the likes of Mark Henry, Mark Jindrak, D’lo Brown and others. He also brings up his time as General Manager of Smackdown, as he held that title for around 9 years, the longest of any General Manager run in the company.
He wanted to prove to everyone who said he didn’t had talent to prove them wrong, and he thanks the McMahon family for that. He thanks his son and his wife, who he’s been married to for 20 years. He finishes off by saying he’ll put the APA in a tag team match, but since Ron Simmons is retired he’ll just have to put Bradshaw one on one with the Undertaker. He thanks everyone, saying now he’s a Holla Holla Hall of Famer.
They showed a video package of the Legacy wing inductees for this year. Haystacks Calhoun, Judy Grable, Bearcat Wright, Farmer Burns, Rikidozan, Luther Lindsay, June Byers, Toots Mondt and Dr. Jerry Graham were all given short profiles
Kurt Angle
Cena says the experience we’re about to feel is long overdue. There’s no words to describe how great this next man as we’ll never see someone as physically gifted as him as well as being an incredible entertainer. His accomplishments are mythic, wrestling guys way bigger than his own weight class. People get signed to the WWE with high expectations, and sometimes people aren’t able to meet them. Angle, however, exceeded them.
He didn’t just make us laugh, he made us heer and made us believe in him. He says that he has the type of story that a dad tells to his son and says dad, that can’t be true. But it is true, Cena says, as he was there, and it’s damn true. He brings out Kurt Angle.
Kurt starts with a story about how he was offered a huge money deal after the Olympics, and said he would never lose a match. He didn’t hear from Vince again. He started watching Raw is War and got hooked, and called head of Talent Relations at the time Jim Ross to see if Vince’s orignal offer still stands. Ross told him it wasn’t, but could come in and try out just like everyone else.
He mentions Jim Ross again thanks him, as well as Dory Funk Jr., Steve Bradley and Sean Evans. He was able to be great because of so many great, unselfish athletes like the Hardyz, Edge and Christian, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Rikishi and many others.
He wants to give advice for all the sports entertainers in the crowd. Limit your mistakes. Follow the protocol, follow the rules. Don’t be the guy or girl who they said could have been the best. Take chances with your personality and character.
Sometimes you make fun of yourself, it can turn out to be in your favor. He cites the cowboy hat as an example. Someone brings out a cowboy hat, and Angle puts it on to cheers. He sings the song from the infamous promo. He also brings up the wig from when he was shaved bald, then brings up other comedic moments in his career before ending with the milk truck angle, saying that you gotta get those entertaining moments because they last forever.
He thanks the WWE Universe, who always believed in him, as well as his family and wife. He’s going to celebrate the only way he knows how…by getting two big cartons of milk. He says to the WWE Universe, you are now looking at the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame class — it’s true, it’s damn true.
Adding to a class that already includes Kurt Angle as its headliner, it was revealed on Monday afternoon that The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express would also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.
The announcement that Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson would be joining the Hall of Fame was made by CBS Sports, with WWE also posting an article about it on their website. Morton & Gibson were voted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2014.
“It was a surprise,” Morton said to CBS Sports. “I had a message on my phone (from WWE) to call the number back. I think they got ahold of Robert at the time. When they called, it was just like a suckerpunch. It just knocked us off our feet.”
“It’s an honor for Ricky and me to go into the Hall of Fame,” Gibson said.
Morton & Gibson remain one of the most popular babyface tag teams of all time, with their rivalry with The Midnight Express in the 80s serving as one of the most fondly remembered periods in tag team wrestling history.
They held the NWA World Tag Team titles four times during their peak, and had a brief run in the WWF in 1998. The duo most recently appeared in TNA Wrestling as part of The Hardys’ Tag Team Apocalypto match last year.
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set to take place on Friday, March 31st at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida as part of WrestleMania weekend in the city.
The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame welcomes four new members in the class of 2016, with Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan, Gene Okerlund and Sting being voted in, and 19th century pioneer James McLaughlin, generally considered the first American pro wrestling champion, also being added.
To get into the Hall of Fame, you have to get 60 percent of the vote from various geographical regions. If a wrestler fails to get elected 15 years after being put on the ballot, they must garner 50 percent of the votes or be removed from the ballot. A person who gets less than 10 percent of the vote any year is eliminated from the ballot the next year.
A wrestler is eligible for the ballot 15 years after the start of their major league career, or turns 35 and has been an active pro wrestler for at least ten years.
The WWE’s final two honorees for the Hall of Fame ceremony will be Snoop Dogg and Joan Lunden.
Snoop Dogg, who is related to Sasha Banks and has been on WWE television a few times over the years, will be the celebrity inductee. It had been rumored within wrestling for weeks and reported in past Wrestling Observer Newsletters that they were talking, and in wrestling circles, the belief was that it was a done deal.
Also reported at the time was Lunden, who will receive the Warrior award.
While the Snoop Dogg announcement was made via email, John Cena made the announcement on Lunden Monday morning on The Today Show. Lunden will be presented with the award on Saturday night by Dana, the widow of the Ultimate Warrior. Lunden, best known for her hosting Good Morning America was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, and very publicly battled through chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
“It is truly humbling to be honored by WWE and receive this year’s Warrior Award at the 2016 Hall of Fame induction ceremony,” said Lunden to WWE.com. “After being diagnosed with cancer, my first thought was to survive, but soon after, I changed my focus from my cancer to the fight against cancer, and my life took on a whole new purpose. WWE has welcomed me into their family, offering me warmth and support, as have so many of the WWE fans from around the world. It is a privilege to receive this honor.”
The ceremony will air live on the WWE Network with an edited verson airing on post-Mania Thursday after Smackdown on USA.
The WWE announced today that The New Day would be inducting The Freebirds into the WWE Hall of Fame on 4/2 in Dallas.
The connection is that The New Day as a three-man tag team championship team, where any two men can defend the titles, was taken from The Freebirds, of Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts, who may have been the first team to do so with their Freebird rules.
The Freebirds scheduled for induction are Hayes, currently a WWE producer, Jimmy Garvin, Gordy and Roberts. The latter two, who have passed away, will be represented by their sons who became pro wrestlers, Ray Gordy, who worked for WWE as Jesse, and Buddy Roberts Jr., an independent wrestler in Illinois.
Yesterday the company announced that Vader would be inducting Stan Hansen. Vader and Hansen had a memorable match at the Tokyo Dome in 1990 where Vader’s eye came out of its socket. It was a dream match at the time, as Vader was the foreign monster for New Japan Pro Wrestling, while Hansen had a similar spot with All Japan.
Also from sources at the park, the location would replace NBA City at the Universal City Walk, adjacent to the theme park — the same location reported on more than a year ago in the Wrestling Observer newsletter.
It’s said that the restaurant will be similar to “The World” — the WWE’s failed attempt at a Times Square restaurant years ago that was closed after bleeding tens of millions of dollars. The new place will feature a merchandise store and screens that would constantly air WWE action.
The new WWE WrestleMania 32 magazine in the list of the 2016 Hall of Fame class confirmed Jacqueline Moore and Stan Hansen as the final two inductees for this year.
Moore had been on the list that had leaked several months back. Hansen was not. Hansen had two runs in WWF, once challenging Bruno Sammartino in 1976, including the match where he broke Sammartino’s neck by dropping him on his head on a bodyslam, which inadvertently ended up making his career when the return match saved the Ali vs. Inoki show at Shea Stadium.
He also had a run with Bob Backlund as champion.
Hansen is generally considered the greatest foreign star in Japan, for his long tenure as a fixture for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Moore was in as the female inductee that they want in every year.
This would mean that plans for John Layfield were changed, which had been obvious when they announced he would be helping induct The Godfather.
WWE through CBS Sports today announced that Ray Taylor, better known as the Big Bossman, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on 4/2 in Dallas.
Traylor, who really was a prison guard in Cobb County, GA who got his break as an enhancement talent for Jim Crockett, was a surprise and likely a late addition as on the various lists that had gotten out his name wasn’t mentioned. It’s also a surprise since the company likes to not have too many wrestlers who passed away young on the same docket due to wrestling’s issues with young deaths, and this year’s class included Terry Gordy, who passed away at 40.
Traylor was a 350 pound plus prison guard who impressed Dusty Rhodes and others because of how agile he was and how he got up for Tully Blanchard’s slingshot suplex and was hired as Big Bubba Rogers, the huge bodyguard for Jim Cornette.
He left Crockett Promotions in 1988 for the WWF, and had a major feud with Hulk Hogan that was one of the best drawing programs of Hogan’s run on top, as well as frequently headlined against then-WWF champion Randy Savage. The Hogan vs. Bossman feud was blown off in a number of cage matches, including on a Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC, where Hogan superplexed Bossman off the top of the cage.
He then turned babyface after turning on Ted DiBiase and became Hogan’s tag team partner at times, and then had a run against various members of the Bobby Heenan family. His most memorable match was a jailhouse match at the 1991 SummerSlam card as the key match of his feud with The Mountie, played by Jacques Rougeau Jr.
He left the WWF in 1993, and had a brief run with All Japan, before signing with WCW later that year. He started as The Boss, but WWE legal sent threatening letters to WCW, so he became The Guardian Angel, a gimmick that didn’t fly, before reverting back to Big Bubba Rogers and at the end was using the name Ray Traylor. He wasn’t being used well, and returned to WWF in 1998 and worked there until being let go in 2002.
He briefly worked as a trainer for WWF, and passed away from a heart attack on September 22, 2004, at the age of 41.
WWE officially announced Monday through Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden that Charles “The Godfather” Wright will join Sting in the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame class.
The Freebirds, Jacqueline and announcer John Bradshaw Layfield are also expected to be announced in the upcoming weeks, while the Wright announcement is expected to be announced on Raw tonight.
Wright, who started his career as the Soul Taker in Memphis, was a Monster Factory trainee after being a high school basketball star in San Jose, CA. Mark “Undertaker” Calaway, who had been friends with him before both were in WWE, arranged for him to meet with WWE officials. They liked his size at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds at the time which was a lot of what main events were based on in that era.
He started as Papa Shango, doing a voodoo gimmick, feuding with Ultimate Warrior. The character got a big push and a lot of attention, but had a mixed reaction. He had a second run as Kama The Supreme Fighting Machine, modeled after Kimo, a UFC star in that era. He then changed to Kama Mustafa in the Nation of Domination before eventually finding the role he’s most remembered for as The Godfather, who started as a heel but became a strong show opening babyface, mostly for his ring entrance coming to the ring with distinctive music with his “ho’s”, and then mostly doing short matches.
Between stints and after wrestling, Wright worked managing a strip club in Las Vegas.
Act quickly, as tickets are currently on sale for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on 4/2 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The ceremony is advertised for a 6:30 p.m. local start time and will be headlined by Sting.
The pre-sale started this morning and we have received two different codes, being WWEVIP and AACVIP.
Tickets will be available until 11 p.m. Central time tomorrow night before they go on sale to the public on Friday.
Tickets for the event are expected to sell out quickly as the set up is usually about 10,000 seats and with so many people coming to the host city, the shows are a routine sellout.
As has become a yearly tradition, there is a group from this site that usually attends together. You can look for that thread on the Board~! under the Empire Get-Togethers “folder” or create your own. For more information on our website’s Wrestlemania meet-up info, you can email EdinSanantonio at [email protected] – yes, Ed is the one keeping hotmail alive.
WWE officially announced today that Sting will headline its 2016 Hall of Fame Class to be inducted Wrestlemania weekend in Dallas, TX. He was expected to be the lead inductee this year given he lives near Dallas and that the timing worked out.
Steve “Sting” Borden was one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling during the 1990s with WCW, where he was a six-time WCW world champion and two time International world champion. He was also a two-time NWA champion and four time TNA champion.
Borden started his career working for Jerry Jarrett in late 1985 after only a few weeks of training under Red Bastien and Billy Anderson, as Power Team USA. He was discovered working in a Southern California gym by Rick Bassman, who was trying to put together a group of bodybuilders to capitalize on the popularity of the Road Warriors. Borden and Jim Hellwig, who became the Ultimate Warrior, left the camp and Bassman on their own after sending photos to all the different promotions. Only Jarrett responded, but the team only lasted a few weeks before Jarrett got rid of them.
Bill Watts hired the two based on potential. Watts had trouble with Hellwig, who quit and went to work for World Class wrestling, and then found his way to WWF. Sting started as a heel and was put under the wing of Eddie Gilbert, who turned him face just as the UWF was being sold to Jim Crockett Promotions. Most of the UWF talent got buried, but Sting was kept on as a prelim guy, who started gaining popularity.
His star exploded in one night when he was booked to do a 45 minute draw with Ric Flair on the first Clash of the Champions in 1988. From that day on, he was always considered a major star, and when Crockett Promotions told to Turner Broadcasting in 1989, Sting was considered the heir apparent as the company’s top star after Flair. The decision was to change the title in February 1990, ironically, on Flair’s 41st birthday in Greensboro. However, Sting suffered a bad knee injury in an angle building up the match, and the title change was moved to Baltimore and the Great American Bash that summer.
He remained as a top star with WCW until the promotion closed. He retired after not making a deal with WWF, but then came back for a lucrative deal with TNA. He agreed to come in 2006 and every year, he expected it to be his last. And every year, Dixie Carter offered him a new deal and he remained with the company until his last contract expired in early 2014. At that point, TNA could no longer afford him, and he opened up talks with WWE, later debuting at the 2014 Survivor Series in the show-closing angle.
Sting wrestled a few matches with WWE until suffering a neck injury at the 2015 Night of Champions after taking a power bomb into the turnbuckles in a match with then-World Champion Seth Rollins. He noted when talking with Ric Flair that he requires neck surgery, although has not gotten surgery yet.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with a FREE show today talking all the news in WWE regarding Seth Rollins and where they go from here, the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame issue available now for subscribers and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to discuss the 2015 Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame with Matt Farmer — the winners, the losers, who dropped off the ballot, and tons more! Then, a look at all the news in wrestling and MMA, Seth Rollins’ injury, WrestleMania tickets, a busy weekend upcoming and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
